Tempura

Tempura is one of those things that’s on every Japanese menu these days. It’s one of the least foreign / scary things you can order, because it’s deep-fried. And we all know that deep-fried things aren’t scary (…well, unless you’re in Belgium or Scotland).

For me, tempura is comfort food. As a kid, getting a fresh, scorching hot piece of tempura was always a treat. The light, crispy batter was always so satisfying, and as a child, any food in stick form was always a bonus.

If you’re near Heidelberg and interested in trying really good tempura, try fumi Heidelberg. This restaurant specialises in the complete hot Japanese meal. Their tempura is cooked to perfection and served with three different tempura seasonings – the traditional dipping sauce, a shiso (Japanese mint) seasoning salt, and a yuzu (Japanese citrus) salt and pepper mix.

Did you know…?
The word ‘tempura’ refers specifically to deep-fried seafood. Deep fried vegetables, like pumpkin and sweet potatoes are called ‘shojin-age’. These days, both appear on menus simply as ‘tempura’.